Or what happens between one thing and another.
The musician and composer Archie Marshallbetter known as King Krulepresents his new studio album, SpaceHeavyvia seal Bullfighter. This is the return of the British after three years of Man Alive! (2020) and also a return to its original sound. If the previous material presented more sophisticated electronic melodies, this one is the opposite, with raw and primal rhythms, almost like those of a proto band, it is a return to the basics.
With the characteristic elements of Kruleits nihilistic lyrics and an ensemble that bets more on arrhythmia, offers us an album that could be predictable, but is not. SpaceHeavy It is a labyrinth full of false doors and dead ends, in which we constantly advance only to find ourselves standing in the same place, proof of this is, “Flimsier” The song that opens the album, and before Marshall begins to sing, he has already gone through three genres, even his voice changes, hooking us first with melody, being pulled into the jaws of the typical low tone that without realizing it already has us in its grip. .
Followed by “Pink Shell” much more direct, a post punk that attacks head-on, without hesitation, or tricks up its sleeve, from the initial bass solo to the wandering saxophone of Ignacio Salvadores, passing through the torn interpretation of Krule, stands out for either its brutal honesty or its honest brutality. While “Empty Stomach Space Cadet” It is one of the themes that serve as a bridge for his previous works. Well structured, it draws on experimental jazz and art rock sounds typical of Archy, what is notable is how he makes this piece fit with the others. The same thing happens with “From The Swamp”very clear and recognizable indie rhythms, even obvious, which makes their role clearer as axes in which the other songs revolve around them or as references to not lose the horizon.
Finally, highlight “If Only It Was Warmth”, sober, hard and austere, with minimal elements seeks to prepare us for the imminent end, and as it was foreshadowed during the other tracks, it is just a large empty space, and what is that place but nothingness. In conclusion, it is a good album, which manages to balance the experimental with the orthodox, but to be honest, that tightrope walker task has been the hallmark of King Krule since its beginnings, the interesting thing here is that it is about its own ways and how not to let your own style get out of hand, although at times it seems that it happens that way. It is not an easy album, but it will surely attract the most devoted and some unsuspecting curious who fell into the trap.
